Clay Blog Review: December 2014

Happy New Year! 2014 has come to an end. But not without some great pottery blogging by many of our favorite pottery bloggers!

End of the year CBR!

Below you can find some of the best posts of the month. If you missed the last CBR you can read it here: Clay Blog Review: November 2014. And in a few days we’ll take a look at the top pottery blogs of the year!

Also, don’t forget that an Email Newsletter will launch sometime in January. It’s free to sign up for the Pottery Making Email List!

Let’s review the blogs:

The Can’t Miss

What really sticks out on the pottery blogs this month?

• Blog – objective clay: Just Scraping the Surface
• Lucy Fagella Pottery: A New Teaching Video on Lid Making

• Marian Williams Pottery: How To Make Raku’d Balloon Bowls!
• The Hopeful Potter: 15.12.14
• Blue Starr Gallery: Making a Large Draped Bowl
• Marian Williams Pottery: How Do I Know If My Kiln Is In Reduction?
• Rachel Dorn Ceramic Sculpture: Tape Lines
• Pottery by Inge Nielsen: New kyusu tea pots and a word on lids
• Kristen Kieffer: Studio Cycles Pictorial 2014
• Art by Fuzzy: The Kremer Wood Kiln
• NCECA Blog: Solar Powered Pottery Kilns

Process and Technique

How is pottery made?

• riverwife clay: glaze frenzy… market approaching
• Pottery by Inge Nielsen: Final setup
• Lucy Fagella Pottery: The Work Table is Busy
• lisa w.b. walker: “Reflection” opens tonight
• Rachel Dorn Ceramic Sculpture: Raku Firing & Kiln Trouble
• meesh’s pottery: Piggy Dreams
• Hannah McAndrew: Busy Busy Busy
• Blue Starr Gallery: Icy Flowers and Craving Color
• part time pottery: New batch of Greenware
• Rachel Dorn Ceramic Sculpture: Glazing and Firing a Small Batch
• Clay Club: Ceramic Wonder. How it’s made.

• Blue Starr Gallery: Ceramic Spoon and Fork
• Frogpondsrock…: The Pot of DOOM
• Kim Murton: Finishing up
• Blue Starr Gallery: Testing Testing 1 2 3
• Blue Starr Gallery: Cheese Board and Bisque Firing
• Rachel Dorn Ceramic Sculpture: Lidded Jars, Thrown With The Lid Attached
• Blue Starr Gallery: Little Pretties Waiting to be Glazed
• Patricia Griffin Ceramics – BLOG: Pillow talk
• Claying Thoughts: Pinch Pot Ideas
• Kim Murton: days work
• part time pottery: Bowls
• musing about mud: movie day: George Mason – Artist Profile
• Clay Club: Beginner’s Play

Tips and Technical

How can I be a better potter or make pots more efficiently?

• Alchemy of Clay: The casserole lid
• potteryman: Talk & Tips
• Fine Mess Pottery: Is It Supposed to Look Like That?
• musing about mud: technical tuesday: Pottery and Ceramics Building a Sink Trap
• Tony Clennell: Gargling Pesticide
• Tony Clennell: Chickenpox
• part time pottery: Soda for Christmas
• The PottersFriend’s blogspot: Why do I need frit in my glaze?
• Carol Clarkson Pottery Blog: Cone 6 recipes
• Peter’s Pottery: Electrons, Cheese Dishes, Soup bowls, Roosters, and Happy Christmas!
• Karatsupots Blog: And so it begins…
• Shambhala Pottery: For the Shino lovers
• Clay Club: Health and Safety – Talc
• Rachel Dorn Ceramic Sculpture: Stilts
• DirtKicker PoTTerY: Calibrating a Digital Kiln – Thermal Couple Off Set
• DirtKicker PoTTerY: Test fire #3 and snow

Recent Work

Where can I find finished pottery that will inspire me?

• Gary Jackson: Fire When Ready Pottery: Tick-Tock… Tick-Tock…
• Jenny Mendes: Cheers!
• Blue Starr Gallery: Fresh out of the Kiln
• Jose Maria Mariscal – Ceramicas Mariscal: Azules
• musing about mud: flock and gather this weekend
• Rough Ideas: # 1 winter solstice 2014
• Karatsupots Blog: Fall 2014 Wood Firing Continued
• Pottery by Inge Nielsen: Shiboridashi
• Pottery by Inge Nielsen: Glaze firing: Kyusu tea set and oilspots
• Jenny Mendes: beloved
• CARTER GILLIES POTTERY: Full frontal new ditty
• The Rabbit Muse: Shop Update TOMORROW – ALL JEWELRY!
• Rough Ideas: # 6 winter solstice 2014
• Kim Murton: Off to Texas-18 Hands Gallery
• Blue Starr Gallery: Beautiful Unique Unusual
• Dirty Girl Clayworks: west coast winter
• Rough Ideas: #8 winter solstice 2014
• good elephant pottery – blog: New Pots for the Open Studio
• littlemahoningcreekpottery:LAST MINUTE SHOPPING…
• Jenny Mendes:[no title]
• Gary Jackson: Fire When Ready Pottery: A Textural Teaser : Holiday Home Show TOMORROW
• this artist’s life: slow ceramics
• Alchemy of Clay: Plate designs in gallery
• Lucy Fagella Pottery: Open Studio Holiday Sale 2014
• Gary’s third pottery blog: chocolate covered golden doodle…
• WALLYWARE: Wally’s Last-Minute Holiday Gift Guide!
• Patricia Griffin Ceramics – BLOG: Birds with holiday cheer
• Alchemy of Clay: Forest Project details
• Acorn Pottery: some assembly required
• GretaMichelle Joachim: Pieces Of My World: December Update
• meesh’s pottery: Wrapping Up
• weddwould: [no title]

• Jose Maria Mariscal – Ceramicas Mariscal: Pigmentos, rojo con Hierro y manganeso
• Sue Pariseau Pottery: Long Overdue
• Gary’s third pottery blog: out the car window….
• Lucy Fagella Pottery: It’s the Little Things
• Art by Fuzzy: Dinnerware Sets for the Local
• Gary’s third pottery blog: going EAST….
• The Rabbit Muse: Shop update TOMORROW December 23rd!
• weddwould: Festive
• Gary’s third pottery blog: the big followup…
• part time pottery: Solstice Firing Results
• Karatsupots Blog: Pieces and notes fall firing 2014
• Blue Starr Gallery: Little Pretties All Fired Up
• Art by Fuzzy: Small Wheel Thrown Bottles
• Phil Rogers Pottery, Rhayader, Wales: PR230 Lidded jug with two guinomi.
• Phil Rogers Pottery, Rhayader, Wales: PR225 Ash Glazed Bowl.
• Blue Starr Gallery: Three Platters and a Plate
• Whynot Pottery Blog: What’s up?
• Art by Fuzzy: Wood Fired Cups
• Hints and Tips for the Potter: 43. NEW YEAR – NEW IDEAS
• Blue Starr Gallery: Table Top, Window Sill, or Wall Flower Pots
• Art by Fuzzy: Wheel Thrown Cups
• Rachel Dorn Ceramic Sculpture: Mugs Out of the Kiln
• paul the potter: Planning Pots for 2015
• Art by Fuzzy: A Few Mugs
• Art by Fuzzy: Bowls Are Few and Far Between
• Art by Fuzzy: Shot Glasses or Tiny Cups
• Alex Irvine Ceramics: Daydreamer

Interviews and Podcasts

What do potters talk about?

• The Potters Cast: Making Art, Making Money | Ann Rea | Episode 64
• The Potters Cast: The Commitment | Kajsa Leijström | Episode 65
• The Potters Cast: The Gallery Owner’s Perspective | May Lou Zeek | Episode 66
• The Potters Cast: An Artist Staying Current | Frances Palmer | Episode 67
• Tales of a Red Clay Rambler: Carter Pottery: Philadelphia Live Ramble: Silverman, Strand, & Gebhart talk Design
• The Potters Cast: Building Relationships for Building Business | Kip O’Krongly | Episode 68
• The Potters Cast: A Nurturing Artist | Alice Ballard | Episode 69
• Tales of a Red Clay Rambler: Carter Pottery: Sandi Pierantozzi and Neil Patterson on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast
• jenallenceramics: Bryan Hopkins: Potter of the Month
• The Potters Cast: A Testing Artist | Isaac Patmore | Episode 71
• The Potters Cast: Big Boy Pottery | Nicholas Bernard | Episode 72

Thoughts

What do potters think about?

• Future Relics Pottery Blog: It’s Good vs It’s What I Wanted
• Future Relics Pottery Blog: Consumerism Conflict
• Teaching/Craft: Beyond What is Necessary

The Rest

What else to potters blog about?

• MARSHALL COLMAN FIRED UP: VAT AND THE ARTIST
• musing about mud: movie day: Clap along with Keith
• DirtKicker PoTTerY: When shipments go missing
• Clay Club: Book Review – The Complete Guide to Mid-Range Glazes – Suzy Staubach
• Tony Clennell: Dear Lord
• Around and About with Bulldog Pottery: Studio Potter, John Gill, Xiphactinus
• New Day Pottery: Rearranged studio and holiday plans
• Future Relics Pottery Blog: Wonderful, Whirlwind Weekend
• Tony Clennell: No holds barred critique
• Paine Falls……….: mov’n slow and recap……
• musing about mud: Think Big – online course
• Molly Hatch: News and Projects: THINK BIG! 6 Week online e-series Registration Open!
• CARTER GILLIES POTTERY: Sales fatigue
• part time pottery: Randmom Fun Things
• Around and About with Bulldog Pottery: Luke Syson, Karen Karnes, World Science
• Dan Finnegan Pottery: Dan Finnegan – Star of Stage and Screen
• Gary Jackson: Fire When Ready Pottery: Last-Minute Christmas Gift For Your Favorite Potter
• Ellison Bay Pottery Studios – Pottery and Other Related Thoughts: Kiln Furniture is Not Comfortable
• Carol Clarkson Pottery Blog: Christmas Gifts For Potters
• Tales of a Red Clay Rambler: Carter Pottery: Sign up for THINK BIG! e-course with Molly Hatch and Ben Carter
• Liz Crain Ceramics: A Clumsy and Charming Circle Round
• Around and About with Bulldog Pottery: Portuguese Wood-Fired Clay Oven, Harrison McIntosh, Microcosmos

• Rae Dunn … clay » clay.: a clean break.
• Gary Jackson: Fire When Ready Pottery: New Tools For The New Year : Troy Bungart
• DirtKicker PoTTerY: Merry Christmas to my Pottery Blog Friends
• Tony Clennell: Merry Christmas to me!
• Sawdust & Dirt: Think Big! Online Course
• Fine Mess Pottery: The Week of Reflection, 2015
• willow avenue pottery: 2014 Pictorial Review, Pottery & Farm
• Carol Clarkson Pottery Blog: Listing of North American Potters

Thanks for Reading!

As a new year begins I want to say thanks to all the bloggers out there who share so much on their blogs. This wouldn’t be possible without you! Thanks for putting in the time and effort to inform and inspire the rest of us.

Also, thanks for all those that leave encouraging comments, share on social media and put links on sites or blogs. The support is really great and much appreciated.

I hope 2015 brings everyone happiness, health, plenty of clay and extra time to blog about it!